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HANGU: At least nine suspected militants were killed on Saturday when gunship helicopters pounded insurgent hideouts in Thall village in Hangu district, security officials said.
“Gunship helicopters engaged the hideouts after confirmed reports of the terrorists' presence,” said one of the unnamed security officials.
Officials said the military launched the attack after confirming reports about the presence of militants in Thall.
They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
According to sources, gunship helicopters pounded suspected militants’ positions in Tora Wari and Dar Samand areas of Thall, following which nine militants were killed whereas several hideouts were destroyed.
Sources added that gunships continued to hover after the shelling whereas panic spread in the area.
Hangu borders the northwestern tribal region of Orakzai, one of Pakistan's seven lawless districts on the Afghan border considered to be the hub of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants.
These were the second air attacks against Pakistani Taliban militants this month in retaliation at strikes by insurgents, which have derailed peace talks.
Earlier this week, at least 35 militants were killed as fighter jets targeted suspected insurgent hideouts in three different tehsils of the North Waziristan tribal region.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had authorised the strikes, according to a source in his office.
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella grouping of numerous militant factions, has been waging a bloody campaign against the Pakistani state since 2007, carrying out a number of bomb and gun attacks, often on military targets.
Peace talks between the Taliban and the government, announced on January 29, stalled this week due to a recent surge in insurgent attacks and a claim by a Taliban faction on Sunday that it had killed 23 kidnapped soldiers.
Government mediators have set a ceasefire as a precondition for another round of talks but Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the TTP, on Friday blamed Islamabad for the deadlock and asked the state to declare a ceasefire first.
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Feb 22, 2014 10:30am
Excellent work army. Finish them all
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Feb 22, 2014 11:18am
Bravo . Kill them all. We don't need any prisoners to fill our jails.
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Feb 22, 2014 12:42pm
It is looking to good our frontier corps fight against militant.pakistan army have only solution of declined terrorist activiteis.TTP is against sentiment of pakistan peoples, they want imposed thier sharia in Pakistan.therefor Pakistan consitution is already fulfilled with Islamic sharia....Qamar Raza
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Feb 22, 2014 12:50pm
Well done.......now when we talk at least it will be from a position of strength.
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Feb 22, 2014 01:20pm
Don't spare a single Taliban, kill them all. They are a disgrace to the entire Muslim nation all over the world. They are a set of illiterate brutes they have no religion whatsoever. This is your last chance and don't stop it half way. Don't spare a single one. They should have been wiped out long ago............by now many of those innocent thousands killed by them will be still alive.
This government's last chance. Save Islam from these murderers.
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Feb 22, 2014 01:26pm
Don't kill people this will bring collateral damage these are our people after all, furthermore this will help militants to recruit more people easily. There should be a full ceasefire so the peace talks may continue and will bring any positive result to all this mess we created by ours elf first allowing western spy agency to recruit people for their terrorist activities for getting some dollar and then by siding with US and West forces of NATO for killing our Muslim brothers in Afghanistan. There is a saying in English, as you sow, so shall you reap. This is the result of our own bad ill conceived action. Now more force will bring more destability, More humbleness will bring peace.Long live Pakistan.
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Feb 22, 2014 01:55pm
Well Done Pakistan armed forces. Crush these terrorist & hypocrites from their roots. We have Srilanka as an example where promoters of terrors were wiped out from scratch. You (armed forces) shall always have support of literate Pakistanis who understand the difference between extremism & the true Islam.
I salute our armed forces and pray that all martyrs get a place in heaven, Aamen
...Pakistan First
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Feb 22, 2014 02:00pm
Do more our dear prime minister and COAS, eliminate these terrorists and vanish them from the pious land if our motherland Pakistan. We love our country, being out of country for several years but we feel the pain and cries of our innocent peoples, who were killed by these terrorists.
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Feb 22, 2014 02:01pm
Way to go...
Please do not stop now till each and everyone of them is finished.
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Feb 22, 2014 03:05pm
maardo inn sab janwaro ko,
good job PAF
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Feb 22, 2014 03:30pm
Well done. Keep going, Bravo
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Feb 22, 2014 03:36pm
Bravo! Kudos to the brave men and women of the armed services. Take the fight to these cowardly murderers. Free Pakistan from the grip of these insane zealots.
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Feb 22, 2014 05:05pm
Good job Pak Army. Strike terror in the heart of enemies of Islam and Pakistan.
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Feb 22, 2014 05:24pm
Yes...and more please. The sooner we kill these snakes...the better it will be.
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Feb 22, 2014 05:51pm
Pakistan virtualy have a civilian Government which cohibits with the military chief. In several garrison towns military has taken over the administration control and its jets and helicopters arereported to be pounding waziri villages. The casualty numbers will become knon once the foreign correspondents mange to enter the territory.
Rex Minor
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Feb 22, 2014 06:54pm
Job well done. Just keep it up with no reserve. Total elimination of terror should be the goal of govrrnment and our army. Taliban are enemies of peolple, country and Islam,
Let Pakistan build, prosper and progress and come back to the league of modern nations where it always rightfully belonged until two decades ago since these thugs have expanded their reign of terror beyond their home oppressing their women to the overall nation and beyond.
Long live pakistan, its democracy, armed forces and its people Insha-Allah
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Feb 22, 2014 07:19pm
As Pakistan pounds these terrorists, its security forces and people must keep an eye on individuals like Maulana Aziz of Lal Masjid. Make sure that no Mosque in Pakistan was allowed to keep weapons or ammunition or used for anti state activities.
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Feb 22, 2014 07:28pm
With this frequency elimination of TTP, it will take years to finish the job. ISI must get into higher gear and trace these criminals so that air force and the ground forces can finish off the job. There have been no reports of ground forces activities. Nation wants more and swift reporting. Armed forces and journalists keep up the good work.
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Feb 22, 2014 07:46pm
Good news.
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Feb 22, 2014 08:30pm
Keep up the good work fellas. This is the only language TTP understands. War they want, war shall they get. God bless you.
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Feb 22, 2014 08:41pm
Is it effectively the end of negotiations OR are we going to continue the charade?
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Feb 22, 2014 09:10pm
It is not only Hangu or orakzai which are lawless. it is the entire country.... Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
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Feb 22, 2014 09:59pm
Is it permanent solution in Pakistan to bring peace for a long time.
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Feb 22, 2014 10:01pm
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Army High Command are now doing what is required under the constitution and laws of Pakistan. May Allah reward them.
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Feb 22, 2014 10:07pm
Sharia is Allah (swt)'s law, it is already enforced upon the mankind and all living beings, nobody can deviate from the path given to us by him, Sharia is supreme law, but killing innocent people is not allowed in accordance with the law of Allah (swt).
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Feb 22, 2014 11:06pm
There should be no ceasefire - complete elimination of all Talibans is the only option left! If the news is correct (and I have no reason to doubt it), just look at how fast these insurgents are being killed. Our military has the might and motive to destroy them without suffering significant casualties. The Talibans, aside from being bullies and fear mongers really have nothing else. Their "suicide bombers", if given a choice, would also like to live a happy life. If we can wipe out the leaders, who in fact, are cowards, we can definitely change things around and bring a happy ending.
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Feb 23, 2014 12:08am
Khas kum jahan paak!!!!
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Feb 23, 2014 12:41am
Wipe them out from face of Earth, these sample strikes won't serve the purpose. Taliban amust be finished once for all.
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Feb 23, 2014 02:22am
Why only nine? we want them all dead. Please keep on doing the good work until you have achieved your target of killing all the terrorists and their spokesmen disguised as politicians.
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Feb 23, 2014 03:33am
It is always "terrorists" are killed when Pakistani Jets drop bombs or gunships stafe within populated area; but drone always kill innocent civilians; in spite of careful observation and follow up.
May be it is because Taliban is good or bad depends upon whom he kills or who kills him.
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Feb 23, 2014 04:40am
Thats the way to do it. Finally, the right policy has been adopted. The policy of "pre-emptive strikes." Should have adopted a long time ago.
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Feb 23, 2014 07:20am
That's what should have been happening long time ago. Hope it continues on a sustained basis. Track them and eliminate them. Those a..holes have no respect for innocent civilians neither for human lives. More drones and missiles raining on them the better.
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Feb 23, 2014 07:22am
These are just the leaves of a tree. Get the roots, all the lal masjids across the country are the brooding grounds they should be shut down. Their imams along with their executive body should be held and thoroughly questioned. These guys have wrecked havoc in the country. They portray to be innocent but unfortunately reality is quiet the opposite to it. They preach, teach, breath and foster terrorism and hatred. This cancer needs to be eradicated once and for all.
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Feb 23, 2014 07:23am
we love you Pakistan army.
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Feb 23, 2014 08:51pm
@Khanam. Dont you understand that we only have hate for these taliban terrorists and for their soft image representatives living among us. We are going to finish them , with or without army. Its time we start to keep a black book of collaborators.
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Feb 24, 2014 05:34am
@Mustafa:
Does any one know about the whereabouts of the Prime Minister? KPK is now free to separate from Pakistan corpus.
Rex Minor
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Feb 24, 2014 12:11pm
Bravo Pak Army.......... I wish if I could fly gunship then I would have been proud of cleaning up terrorists.
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Feb 24, 2014 07:35pm
good! deal with these barbarians with an iron fist. No need to waste time trying to engage them in negotations crap. Pound them mercilessly and don't let them catch a breath.
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